4M14 7 sessions Engineering for Sustainable Development

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4M14 - 7 sessions Engineering for Sustainable
Development

• Session 4
• Engineers and Sustainable Development
• Charles Ainger
• V P for Engineering Design for Sustainable
  Development, CUED
• With Guest ??????

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What role can engineers play, in sustainable
development?
Are we followers?
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(No Transcript)
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Session 4 - Engineers and Sustainable Development

• The engineers role
• Technology and social needs
• Understanding and Valuing the environment
• Environmental ethics and the precautionary
  principle
• The challenges of leading sustainable development

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Engineers and Sustainable Development

• The engineers role
• Technology and social needs
• Understanding and Valuing the environment
• Environmental ethics and the precautionary
  principle
• The challenges of leading sustainable development

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Sustainable development aims to balance three
elements

• Economic what things cost - and how to make a
  business out of providing infrastructure, goods
  or services
• Environmental what impact those things have on
  nature and the earths support systems - which
  are finite
• Social how those things serve the needs and
  quality of life of people and their communities

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The current world view - relative importance?
Economy (inevitable laws)
Environment (technology can fix it)
Society
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But this is what we all ultimately depend on for
life - so...
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Engineers provide the interfaces...
Environment - inevitable
Society
Products
There is a sense in which all engineering is
environmental engineering, because engineering is
fundamentally about conversion of resources into
artifacts. (D Thom, FICE, 2000)
Economy - invented!
Infrastructure
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What is the engineers role?

• Engineers are the ones who deliver things to
  people
• Engineers designs have a critical sustainability
  impact
• Engineers have technical challenges - energy and
  materials efficiency
• Engineers work against rising sustainability
  expectations

Technology is value-free - why and how we choose
to apply it - its purpose and impact - determines
whether engineers deliver sustainable development
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Engineers and Sustainable Development

• The engineers role
• Technology and social needs
• Understanding and Valuing the environment
• Environmental ethics and the precautionary
  principle
• The challenges of leading sustainable development

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Technology origins - curiosity, invention - and
drivers

• Needs
• to
• Quality of Life
• to
• Wants

Driven by commercially invented wants
(Ingenia, Nov.2001)
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Serving Needs, or Quality of Life, or Wants?

• Traditional cultures, having more limited means
  to satisfy human needs, tend to meet as many
  needs as possible with as few resources as
  possible.
• In contrast, industrial capitalism emphasises the
  creation of specialised products that fight for
  market niches to fill needs that, as often as
  not, cannot be satisfied by material goods.
  
  (Natural Capitalism, Ch. 14)

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Example which of these is more worth an
engineers energy interest?

• Video toothbrush
• In development by Panasonic, this electric
  toothbrush has a miniature video camera mounted
  beside the bristles to allow the user to see on a
  monitor the 40 of debris they normally miss.
• (TYNKYN - EC 11/01)

Rachel Battilana - refugee tent linings - 2001
Young Engineer of the Year
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What defines a socially sustainable product?

• Is being manufactured sustainably enough,
  whatever the products social impact?
• Or, should engineers push for socially
  sustainable features in the products for
  instance.affordability and accessibility for the
  excluded - the poorest 10?
• Or, should we put our energy and interest into
  products and projects which serve needs rather
  than artificially created wants?

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Huge engineering challenges - meeting basic needs
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The social need - environmental impact balance -
in health terms..

• Traditional diseases - not enough intervention
  into nature?
• Modern diseases - too much intervention into
  nature?

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Which level of income has the most need, and
provides the biggest opportunities?
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Choosing who and what you are engineering for -
The IPAT equation I P x A x T

• Directing your impact, I
• P Population - what part of world P do you
  serve - which tier?
• A Affluence (Level of services used) - what
  will your impact be on A - material
  consumption?
• T Technology used (resource or waste
  assimilation efficiency) - what level of resource
  efficiency - T do you use?

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Choosing what you are engineering for - engineers
cant be neutral
OK
NEVER
NEVER
Sustainability Leadership
GOOD
MAYBE
NEVER
BRILLIANT
GOOD
MAYBE
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Engineers reputation as professionals, not
mercenaries - whose interests do we serve?

• Video toothbrush
• In development by Panasonic, this electric
  toothbrush has a miniature video camera mounted
  beside the bristles to allow the user to see on a
  monitor the 40 of debris they normally miss.
• (TYNKYN - EC 11/01)

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Population level Affluence Technology our
engineering choices 4th yr. projects
Group Project
Population Affluence
Technology No. 5 levels?(1)
level (2) efficiency (3) 1 Drag
Reduction 1- (2)
Q NR 2 Ground
Improvement 1 N (Q?)
NR 3 Oil Pipe Stabilisation 1
N NR 4 Control of
Groundwater Pollution 1, 2
N NR 5 Aircraft model
1 Q NR 6 Road
pollution Run-off control 2, 3, 4 N,
Q R 7 Buildings in Earthquake zones
2, 3, 4 N, Q
NR 8 Removing Arsenic from water 4, 5
N R 9 Virtual Reality
Electron Microscope 1 Q gtgt L
NR 10 Semi-conductors
1 gtgt all maybe Q, N NR 11 Rural
electrification 4, 5
N NR Notes 1)There are 5
tiers. Highest level 1 is rich West/North lowest
is poorest South. 2)Affluence level served
simply divided into N need Q quality
and L luxury 3)Techology used just as R
renewable resources or NR non-renewable
resources
these were some results from 2001-2
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What do you think? - discuss in groups...

• Engineering is never neutral - every product or
  project - or research topic - lies somewhere on
  that matrix, and is going to affect the
  sustainable/unsustainable balance. SO
• What are the social responsibilities of
  engineering whom do we want to serve?

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Engineers and Sustainable Development

• The engineers role
• Technology and social needs
• Understanding and Valuing the environment
• Environmental ethics and the precautionary
  principle
• The challenges of leading sustainable development

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Engineers designs have a critical impact on the
environment

• by the time the design for most human artifacts
  is completed.80-90 of their life-cycle economic
  and ecological costs have already been made
  inevitable
• Or, in design
• All the really important mistakes are made on
  the first day (Natural Capitalism -
  Hawken, Lovins Lovins, 1999)

So design sustainably, engineers must understand
environment, including ecology, better - use a
different design mentality - from that first day
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How do engineers learn to understand the
environment ?

• we learn engineering science and technology -
  differential equations, which are neutral
  -neither sustainable nor unsustainable - in
  themselvesBUT
• that engineering science uses a 300 year old
  Newtonian paradigm - world as a machine - which
  is very powerful, and great for designing
  machines, and structures..
• but it a dangerous paradigm for predicting
  technologys impact on the complexity of
  ecosystems (or on societies)

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The environment is unknowably complex. We need a
paradigm shift in how we think about it...

• Mechanistic world
• Newtonian mechanics
• independent, linear, cause and effect
• predictable outcomes
• arrogance over nature
• so - technology can remove natural limits
• hence - narrow, blinkered, technical solutions

• gtgt Systemic, complex world
• gtgt chaos and complexity theory
• gtgt interconnected, feedback loops
• gtgt uncertainty patterns within disorder
• gtgt humility, within nature
• gtgt maybe - but not affordably, nor with
  predictable outcomes
• gtgt hence - analyse systems holistically
  understand feedback loops apply the
  precautionary principle

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Complexity - Operation Cat Drop
Consequences you didnt think of, the existence
of which you will deny as long as possible
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Complexity - second thoughtsabout GM crops and
risk...

• A report published yesterday marked a shift by
  the country's most eminent scientific body from
  its positive report on GM food in 1998, and is
  expected to influence the government's position.
  GM technology ''could lead to unpredicted harmful
  changes in the nutritional state of foods.
• A second blow to the GM food industry..English
  Nature, showed that a generation of super weeds
  was developing in Canada. Weeds in field margins
  or some distance from GM crops ''stacked up''
  genes from modified crops and themselves became
  resistant to a series of herbicides. These
  ''volunteer' weeds that collected GM genes were
  an alarming development
  (Guardian, 5/2/02)

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Complexity - creating new environments for Nature
to exploit

• One suggestion from ICEs SAID Report
• To mitigate the loss of natural habitat,
  projects should create at least as much
  replacement green land as they destroy (note
  that merely COSTING this into the decision may
  move a development back to using less, or brown
  land)
• We cannot engineer the detailed biodiversity
  .use, but we can provide the potential for
  Nature to use (CA, NCE Debate,
  6/12/01)

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Gaia theory - Earths self-regulating
Goldilocks Effect ?
And 21 O2 - an extremely reactive gas - implies
dynamic equilibrium
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Evolution of how engineers need to think about
our environmental impact

• Converting the great sources of power in Nature
  for the use and convenience of Man (C19th
  motto of the Institution of Civil Engineers)
• Our relationship to the Earth is that of a leaf
  to a tree. We have no independent existence. No
  tree, no leaf. (Peter Reason,
  2002)
• One simple rule has emerged ... any organism
  which destabilizes Gaia will experience feedbacks
  which reduce its own numbers. There are clear
  lessons for humans here. We cannot ultimately
  harm Gaia in the long run, over millions of
  years, she will bounce back. But we can harm
  ourselves and many of the millions of species who
  are here with us.
  
  (Stephan Harding)

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Valuing the Environment - ecological services
the problem

• World systems model - failure cause?
• now we no longer think that resources -
  Earths crust raw materials like oil - will be
  limiting (except water?)
• our major concerns are about the earths
  continuing ability to provide ecological
  services - to provide clean air, regular
  climate, waste absorption, beauty and variety -
  all that we have taken for granted.
• we are in danger of losing these because we are
  only just starting to understand their systems
  complexityand we have not valued them
  economically - externalities

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Valuing the Environment - Economic Reasons for
Valuing Wild Nature - 1

• The paper uses environmental economics to put a
  value on the natural services provided by
  wild nature
• aesthetics culture
• the provision of ecological services such as
  climate regulation, soil formation and nutrient
  recycling
• the direct harvest of wild species for food,
  fuel, fibres, and pharmaceuticals

(Source Andrew Balmford et al, Science, Vol 297,
p. 950, 9 August 2002)
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Valuing the Environment - Economic Reasons for
Valuing Wild Nature - 2

• Comparisons of the natural services value with
  the value of developing them
• Tropical Forest, Malaysia Reduced Impact Logging
  14 gt Conventional Logging
• Tropical Forest, Cameroon Reduced Impact Logging
  18 gt Small Scale Farming Plantation use had
  negative value
• Mangrove, Thailand Intact 70 gt Shrimp Farming
  
• Wetland, Canada Intact 60 gt Intensive Farming
• Coral Reef, Philippines Sustainable Fishing
  75 gt Destructive Fishing

(Source Andrew Balmford et al, Science, Vol 297,
p. 950, 9 August 2002)
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Valuing the Environment - Economic Reasons for
Valuing Wild Nature - 3

• 1. We need much better databut in every case
  examined, the loss of nonmarketed services
  outweighs the marketed marginal benefits of
  conversion, often by a considerable amount av.
  50.
• 2. Conversion of remaining natural habitat for
  agriculture, aquaculture or forestry often does
  not make economic sense. Nevertheless although
  key data are again disturbingly scarcerates of
  conversion are currently high across most
  biomes.
• 3. A single years habitat conversion costs the
  human enterprise, in net terms, 250 Billion
  that year, and every year into the future.
• 4. Conversion continues because of information
  failures externality values are not market
  costed and conversion is often subsidised, in
  addition.

(Source Andrew Balmford et al, Science, Vol 297,
p. 950, 9 August 2002)
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Valuing the Environment - Economic Reasons for
Valuing Wild Nature - 4

• Loss and degradation of remaining natural wild
  habitats has continued largely unabated. However,
  evidence has been accumulating that such systems
  generate marked economic benefits, which the
  available data suggest exceed those obtained from
  continued conversion. We estimate that the
  overall benefitcost ratio of an effective global
  program for the conservation of remaining wild
  nature is at least 1001.
• (Source Andrew Balmford et al, Science, Vol 297,
  p. 950, 9 August 2002)

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What do you think? - discuss in groups...

• Engineers design, and manufacture or construct,
  using Newtonian mechanics - but the impacts we
  always create - good and bad - are all on
  complex, living, ecological and social
  systems... SO
• How can we better understand and value complex
  eco-systems?
• What do you think about Gaia theory?

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Engineers and Sustainable Development

• The engineers role
• Technology and social needs
• Understanding and Valuing the environment
• Environmental ethics and the precautionary
  principle
• The challenges of leading sustainable development

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Engineering ethics - conservatism, integrity
and trust?

• ..engineers are always aware of limitations
  in both knowledge and experience which makes us
  instinctively act conservatively. This awareness
  of responsibility, strengths and limitations is
  the basis of the engineers personal
  integritythe basis of the ethic that we offer
  our customers the customers response is to
  place their trust in the engineer..
  (Ingenia 10, Nov. 2001)

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The missing, no voice, engineering stakeholder -
the environment
Stakeholder interests in the professional
engineer (Ingenia 10, Nov. 2001)
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Ethics - Cost (design) efficiency, public safety
- and environment?

• Design efficiency hyperbolic paraboloid (150mm
  concrete 1 layer steel)

Safety 3 towers fell down in high winds -
public safety failure, so a big shock to the
profession re-built. (200mm concrete 2 layers
steel)
BUT NOW WE SEE Environmental efficiency
specifically designed to waste 70 of Primary
energy huge inefficiency - not noticed.
Ferrybridge C Power Station, 1965 8 cooling
towers 93m dia, 116m high
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Our safety and design efficiency ethic needs to
include the environment...
The whole economy is less than 10 as
energy-efficient as the laws of physics permit
(From Natural
Capitalism 1999)
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The precautionary principle - use technology
prudently..

• Institute of Directors Over zealous
  application of the precautionary principle could
  lead to delayed or stifled innovation
• Forum for the Future Key elements of
  the precautionary approach are in fact entirely
  consistent with sound scientific practice and can
  help resolve problems in risk assessment

(NCE, Debate, 7.9.00)
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Unlike environmental activists, we're not in the
shrill zone. We're on the long, low hum of
getting things done. (Bill
McDonough, Observer, 2002)

• The Environmental Activist NO
• These firms quest to boost...growth knows no
  bounds..the engineers vision of the world where
  Nature is bound in concrete and no ecological
  price is too high.
• The Engineer YES, BUT
• Justification criteria need to be robust
• serve a real need, not just a commercial
  interest
• if possible, meet the need in another way, or
  using existing assets, or use several smaller
  projects...

(NCE Debate 6/12/01)
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Professional Practice for Sustainable
Development (PP4SD) - a framework

• Sustainability is starting to enter engineering
  ethics
• As part of the change process, fourteen
  professional bodies have developed a common
  framework for sustainability to enable them to
  develop their thinking and practice.

Institutions involved, so far BSRIA CIBSE
CIWEM CIPS Inst. of Energy IoWM IChem E
ICE IES I Mech E RIBA RICS RS Chemistry
RTPI (www.ies-uk.org/pp4sd)
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Different mindsets - no wonder dialogue is
difficult!
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Engineers and Sustainable Development

• The engineers role
• Technology and social needs
• Understanding and Valuing the environment
• Environmental ethics and the precautionary
  principle
• The challenges of leading sustainable development

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New thinking to follow, as a New Engineer

• Enjoy defining and measuring new messy quality
  of life indicators
• Learn about complexity and systems thinking - to
  implement the complex technical social
  solutions that sustainability will need
• Drive for step-change energy and materials
  efficiency, renewable energy and pollution
  control
• Look for local, smaller, decentralised solutions
  - consider the issues of inequality, power,
  ownership, scale - and even growth..
• Challenge engineers build new culture - learn
  to operate, maintain and refurbish, not just
  build
• Wear your expertise lightly - learn to listen to
  the communities you will affect

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Redefine engineering culture away from Building
things to meeting needs sustainably?
The 19th ( 20th?) Century Engineer
The 21st Century Engineer
Visible construction, at great public expense, to
meet societys wants
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What role can engineers play, in sustainable
development?
Are we followers?
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Choices - about who makes decisions about
defining need, and choosing technologies

• Although engineers need to be aware that
  sustainability involves social, political,
  economic and environmental aspects, their
  professional contribution will be made in
  technical areas
  (Engineering Society, 2000)
• That approach would make us knowledgeable
  mercenaries, rather than leaders?

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Choices - about who makes decisions about
defining need, and choosing technologies

• Engineering.is involved in changing the
  worldit intrinsically and inescapably raises
  moral, political and aesthetic questions. It is
  implicated as well in the struggles of powerful
  vested interests acting to control, and to
  benefit from, that change. (Engineering
  Society, 2000)
• To change the world would require us to be
  leaders professionals serving a redefined wider
  public interest, who make things happen?

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Engineers provide the interfaces...
Environment - inevitable
Society - instinctive?

• Becoming sustainable requires leaders who
  recognise this world view, and act accordingly.
• Because of the key roles played by engineers at
  the interfaces, we are well placed to be those
  leaders

Products
Economy - invented!
Infrastructure
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Like engineer Jaime Lerner with the brain of a
technocrat and the soul of a poet

• Above all, to be sustainable development leaders,
  we need to remember to use at work the human
  values that we all use in our relationships and
  life, outside work
• in choosing to what purpose we will apply our
  energy, technology and skills
• allowing our love for Nature to help us
  understand, care for and feel part of the
  environment
• in applying our love for people, in dealing with
  society and communities
• If we stop using these, as we enter our office
  doors, we will never be sustainable

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The Engineer of the 21st Century - some of the
outputs

• Individual engineers should understand their
  personal ethics and values and those of their
  employers if they are to recognise those of
  others and influence change.
• Our vision is of an engineer who demonstrates
  through everyday practice
• an understanding of what sustainability means
• the skills to work towards this aim
• values that relate to their wider social,
  environmental and economic responsibilities
• and encourages and enables others to learn and
  participate

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End of Session 4Key Questions - what do you
think?

• What are the social responsibilities of
  engineering who do we want to serve?
• How can we better understand and value
  ecological complexity - what skills do we need?
• Can engineers lead towards sustainable
  development and would this encourage more to
  be engineers?

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Ending - CW feedback and Notices

• Coursework Assignment 2 Energy Strategy
• Return to me NOW
• Marked, back to you end of Session 6 - 19
  November
• Coursework Assignment 3 Impact of Superquarry
• Handed out NOW
• Return at start of Session 7, 26 November
• Session 6 - Impacts, Indicators and Consultation
  is the most relevant
• You can also read Notes 10 on the Environmental
  stuff - see CD???

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Coursework Assignment 3 Impact of
Superquarry, Lewis, Scotland
Plans exist to create a superquarry on the Isle
of Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland. The
quarry would be productive for around 70 years
and involve excavation of the mountain of
Rhoneabhal on the South tip of the island. The
Lewisian Gneiss, a very hard metamorphic rock,
will be moved by ship from the deep-sea port and
be used as general roadstone in the South East of
England by the developers, Redland. You are
required to investigate the baseline for the
environmental impact assessment of the project
based on current environmental, social and
economic conditions on the island for the life of
the quarry. Assess what impacts the proposed
quarry would have on each of these factors and
decide whether YOU think the quarry should be
allowed to go ahead based on this evidence.
Discuss on what grounds you reached your decision
and which aspects you considered to be the most
significant. You will be expected to consider
the arguments and issues carefully in the light
of a holistic sustainable development
framework. The discussion should be presented in
the style of a newsletter from an action group
either in favour of or against the scheme. It
should be no longer than four sides of A4.
NOTE This is a real ongoing issue any
enquiry you make must be sensitive to this. Your
submission must be received at the Cambridge
University Engineering Department Centre for
Sustainable Development no later than 5pm on
Tuesday 5th March 2002.
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Next Lecture 5 - 12th November Waste and
Materials Use

• Materials and resources impacts
• Waste what is it? the hierarchy
• New thinkers on waste
• Solutions examples
• Barriers and Challenges